Pearson gold heist was an inside job, now with ties to gun smuggling

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It was an inside job. That’s the big news from the police-released details on Canada’s biggest gold heist. One year after the largest gold heist in Canadian history, Peel Regional Police released details of those arrested, those still on the lam and the connection between this theft ring and international gun smuggling.

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On April 17, 2023, $20 million worth of gold and roughly $2.5 million in banknotes of various foreign currencies were stolen after being transported on an Air Canada flight from Switzerland destined for TD Bank in downtown Toronto.

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The robbery was only able to happen, according to police, thanks to two Air Canada Cargo employees working with the driver of the getaway truck. The driver showed up with a waybill for seafood that had been picked up the day before, a waybill that had been printed off inside the Air Canada Cargo facility.

“The fraudulent airway bill was produced by the suspect driver. It was given to the employee at Air Canada Cargo who retrieved the container of gold and currency and then loaded it into his truck,” said Det.-Sgt. Mike Mavity.

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That driver, currently in custody in the United States after being arrested on charges of gun smuggling, is identified as Durante King-Mclean, 25, from Brampton.

Parmpal Sidhu, a 54 year-old man and Air Canada employee, has been charged with theft over $5,000 and released pending trial. Meanwhile, Simran Preet Panesar is wanted by police. They say that Panesar was working as a manager at the time of the heist and has since left the company.

These two Air Canada workers are believed to have been part of a larger ring that included a jewelry store owner. That point is important because police believe that the gold was melted down and sold.

Only $89,000 worth of the $20 million of stolen gold was recovered. That gold, in the form of six crudely made bracelets, was recovered along with smelting pots, casts and molds used to melt down gold to reshape it.

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Using traffic cameras, police were able to track the truck as it travelled from Pearson airport along Hwy. 401 westbound to Bronte Rd. in Halton where it headed north and was lost once it entered a rural area.

Five individuals have been arrested, charged and released, while three are wanted and one, King-Mclean, remains in custody in the United States.

It was last September when King-Mclean was pulled over in Pennsylvania on a traffic stop that police became aware of gun smuggling. After running from police on foot, King-Mclean was arrested and the vehicle he was driving was found to have 65 illegal firearms in it including automatic weapons.

Prasath Paramalingam, 35, and Archit Grover, 36, both from Brampton and both facing charges in the gold heist, are also charged in the gun-smuggling operation.

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Police in the United States believe that Paramalingam provided funding to King-Mclean to purchase the 65 illegal guns, primarily in Florida and Georgia with plans to transport them back to Canada. Grover is considered an accessory after the fact for his alleged assistance in trying to cover up King-Mclean’s gun-smuggling activities.

Peel Regional Police Chief Nish Duraiappah said the whole story sounds like something you’d see in a “Netflix series.” He credited the hard work of his officers along with national and international partners for helping to get the investigation this far.

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Despite releasing what amounts to a very detailed account of the heist, police said they were unable to release some details due to ongoing court cases and the ongoing investigation including three men still being sought.

Still, the information released Wednesday, including the details about two Air Canada employees and a fraudulent waybill, will likely help Brink’s in their lawsuit against the airline. Brinks filed suit against Air Canada last October citing negligence and carelessness on the part of the airline.

Air Canada disputes those claims. The lawsuit is ongoing.

The movie is yet to be made.

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